This wine is its own little mini master class in Northern Rhône Syrah, from its violet-tinted inkiness in the glass to its peppery, black-fruited meatiness on the palate. When you think of the various aromatic, textural, and visual hallmarks of the Syrah grape, this 2014 Crozes-Hermitage from Emmanuel Darnaud checks every box.
It also happens to be delicious. We’ve offered previous vintages of this wine and have come to regard Darnaud as an ultra-reliable go-to in the Rhône. Everything he makes is impeccable, stylish, authentic, and well-priced. “Les Trois Chênes,” his flagship bottling, is old-vine Syrah of serious depth and dimension: it puts the ‘Hermitage’ in Crozes-Hermitage, at an absolute steal of a price.
In my experience oak is not a big factor in the Darnaud wines: they are very pure, unadulterated, deeply fruity expressions of Syrah, their savory notes derived more from the earth than the wood. The 2014 Les Trois Chênes is an absolutely smoking glass of wine: actually smoky, and peppery, but also much, much more. In the glass it’s a deep, inky purple with magenta reflections on the rim. The expressive nose boasts myriad black fruits—blackberry, black currant, black cherry, black plum—laced with classic aromas of olive tapenade, wild herbs, violets, and smoked meat. The densely concentrated palate is layered with flavor, the finish exceptionally long and aromatic. This wine will age well over the next decade, probably peaking about 2018-2025, but is superb at the moment. If consuming now decant for a minimum of one hour and serve in large Bordeaux stems at 60-65 degrees. As the wine gets over 5 years of age, I’d switch to Burgundy stems. As for food for this wine, I’ve got smoked meat in my head now: check it out with the attached recipe for Texas-style brisket. It should be a knockout!